Perhaps there is no item more emblematic of the modern American economy than the cardboard box. From front porches to loading docks, they’re everywhere. Along with the abundance of packages and pallets moving across the country has come a severe shortage of truckers willing to tranport them from point A to point B. From WaPo: America’s severe trucker shortage could undermine the prosperous economy. “As the nation faces a historically low level of unemployment, trucking companies are doing what economists have said firms need to do to attract and retain workers: They’re hiking pay significantly, offering bonuses and even recruiting people they previously wouldn’t have considered. But it’s not working.”

+ If you have $10,000 and want to be your own boss, Amazon wants you to start a business to deliver its packages. (Let’s be honest. If you have $10,000, you’re probably going to end up spending $9,000 of it on Amazon…)

+ Alana Semuels: I Delivered Packages for Amazon and It Was a Nightmare.

+ It’s not just trucks. From CityLab: Why Won’t Anyone Drive the Bus?